Editor: I guess that Lois Jackson of Delta is the only mayor with guts around here.
The main problem with hospital parking is that if you are going there for an appointment you have no control of the time you are there. Visiting a patient can be controlled, but waiting to have an X-ray or some other test is totally out of control, time wise. Do you pay for one hour, two hours or eight hours?
As a recent example, I had to go to emergency in Langley on Feb. 5 on the advice of an on-call oncologist. We arrived at 10 p.m. and finally saw a doctor at 5:25 a.m. That was bad enough, but after he saw me he said that I would have to return later in the day for an ultra-sound which was scheduled for about 11 a.m.
After about 45 minutes of ultra-sound I was told to return to emergency, where a doctor would discuss the results. After another two-hour wait we finally were taken from the waiting room, into emergency and waited another 1.5 hours to see a doctor.
Meanwhile, the parking meters are ticking away. Total cost for that two days was just under $100. We should have gone to Abbotsford where the parking is much more reasonable.
Interestingly enough, for one hospital at least in Halifax, parking is $1 for the first and second hours and $2.50 for three hours.
Fraser Health ripoff? I think so.
Joe Schiller,
Langley